Winter of Winters
by Kazie Solo
Summary: Written with Riou Genkaku. The end of the world - Ragnarok - is dawning, and the signs are beginning to show. Conflicts. Fueds. Bloodshed. Strife. But something just doesn't seem to be right. Why don't the gods seem prepared?
1. Prologue : IMPENDING DOOM

**Prologue : IMPENDING DOOM  
**_(by Kazie Solo)_

He was aboard an enormously large ship, and as much as he wanted to look into the faces of the people he was sailing with, he found it impossible to do so. Everytime he would spare a glance at someone else's direction, the person he had intended to look at would scurry away in the form of a hazy, black mist. While it was strange for him, it seemed normal for everyone else. Probably because he couldn't see how the others were reacting to such a phenomenon…

He looked up but only saw darkness. The sun, the moon and the stars were nowhere in sight. And to add to the unwelcoming shadows, the air was pungent, and upon taking in a deep breath, he felt like he was going to suffocate. Poison. The sky was loaded with poison, and so was the soil. And while the water remained toxic-free, the waves soared as high as mountains, causing devastating effects on the lands upon which they would crash.

He stopped, suddenly realizing something. The ship he was sailing on was neither riding above the waves nor tearing its way through them. It was _rising_ from beneath them, from a dark realm of ungodly fires in which it had been trapped. But why? Where did he come from, then? And what was going on? Try as he might to remember what had happened to him before his journey, he could not seem to put together the past he had left behind.

The ship finally broke free, and it chose to sit atop a large swelling in the ocean. Yet what he had seen and felt earlier remained to be what they were. The sky was pitch-black. The land was teeming with chasms. The air was venomous. The waves were huge.

"To Vigrid we sail!" a loud, commanding voice tore through all the noise, and he turned to look at the owner of the voice. To his surprise, he discovered that their helmsman didn't transform into a wisp at his gaze; rather, his towering form, monstrous in comparison to his physique, burned brighter and brighter with… fire? He blinked, trying to clear his vision, to check if his eyes weren't deceiving him, and when he focused on the other's form once more, he saw, through the blazing flame, what he thought was a head of a horse.

He abruptly turned away, as if the fire stung him. He chose to stare at the horizon instead, and while he thought the sea would stretch on for miles, he saw a track of land at the distance. It was a vast plain, desolate in a way, yet they didn't seem to be the only ones heading there. Another ship was catching up with theirs, and a giant commanded it, a giant who he hadn't seen in his entire lifetime, yet whose name seemingly had been implanted in his mind. _Hymir._

In no time, they docked, alongside the giants under Hymir's leadership. As soon as their helmsman stepped out of their ship, everyone bowed in reverence, and even though he had no idea what was happening, he did the same, not wanting to get himself in trouble with all those deadly warriors gathered in the area. He thought he wouldn't be any more surprised than he already was, but he was wrong. Soon, they were met by another group of giants, their eyes ablaze. Their leader, carrying a huge sword that blazed like the sun, scorched the land some more, before stopping to address the one who they had chosen to be supreme commander. He recalled, from a rather distant memory, that the fire giant chief was called Surt.

"Lord Loki," Surt rumbled, going down on one knee to pay his respects. His companions quickly followed, doing the same. "We have come to join your battle against the gods. The sons of Odin shall come to know the meaning of destruction… their destruction."

What Loki said in response he no longer heard, for as he continued to stare at their helmsman, the supreme commander of the army aiming to overthrow the gods, he was aware that everything he had seen, felt and experienced had finally fallen into place. The absence of the heavenly bodies… Midgard's terrifying destruction… the arrival of the giants at the battlefield of Vigrid… Hymir, Surt and Loki's alliance… Odin and his sons…

Had it finally come?

**_Ragnarok?_**


	2. Chapter One : AMBUSHED

**Chapter One : AMBUSHED  
**_(by Riou Genkaku)_

"Finally, I could start looking for clues! Just one more task and I will be an acolyte soon! Then I would ask the elders about it. Now, where could I find Mother Matilda?"

Kouya Marino was a budding acolyte. He spent a month of training in preparation for his job change. As he went on with his journey, he saw someone ask a high-level Swordsman for help; that someone was an acolyte. He decided to ask him if he knew where to find Mother Matilda. Kouya approached him and he politely inquired, "Excuse me, my name is Kouya and I'm ready to be an acolyte but there is one problem, I don't know where to find Mother Matilda… I was wondering if you knew since you are an acolyte."

"Oh hi, my name's Mitsuki. I just became an acolyte recently. Mother Matilda is near Morroc City but I suggest that you should bring somebody along. There are a lot of strong monsters and there is someone there who steals money and items from weak ones, especially _acolytes _like me. Believe me, I've been there."

"Is that so? Thank you for your time Mitsuke, I must be going now."

"You're welcome Kouya and good luck!"

Kouya left to find a spot so he could find somebody to help him. He stayed there for about an hour and he still didn't get any help. He became desperate and decided to go alone. Fear of the monsters flew away and what's only left was the determination to find Mother Matilda and become an acolyte. He didn't waste time; he then walked to the south and headed for Sograt Desert.

"Well, as far I got, there aren't any aggressive monsters here. Well, maybe Mitsuki was just overreacting…" As soon as Kouya finished the sentence, he saw a figure of a man at a distance but he couldn't tell what job he was since the dust blurred his vision. "Hello there! Do you know where Morroc City is?"

"Who are you? Don't you know whose territory this is?" the man snapped as he walked towards Kouya. By now, Kouya recognized that he was a thief. Was he the thief Mitsuki was talking about? The thief continued speaking, "You are in the territory of the great Mirage and nobody gets away here without any offering. So, would you mind giving me your money and some items, or do you prefer that I get it myself?"

Kouya was in trouble. He was sure he was the one Mitsuki was talking about. "I need this money sir, please don't take it away from me. I beg of you!"

"Oh? A begging brat? This seems interesting. What's your name kid?"

"Kouya Marino. I will be an acolyte soon and I need my money to buy the equipment I need. Please don't hurt me."

"Acolyte? Great! I envy acolytes for their money from people asking warps and asking acolytes to heal them. And one more thing," he paused for a moment. Then he took out his Stiletto and then continued, "I despise acolytes. So, give me your money and things or pay the price. And that is your life."

"Now I get why Mitsuki is afraid going back to Morroc…" Kouya muttered but the thief heard this. He laughed for a while and then he spoke.

"You said Mitsuki? That pathetic acolyte. He's looking for some help right?" Kouya nodded then he continued, "Ha! As usual. It's because he's so weak." He then laughed but then he saw Kouya's serious face and he stopped laughing.

"Never speak about acolytes like that!" Kouya shouted and he got his knife and he got on his position just like any other novice.

"Planning to fight me eh? Well, prepare to meet your graveyard." The thief ran towards Kouya. To Kouya's sight, he was just like hiding behind the dust which flew to all directions. Kouya saw nothing but bits and pieces of the thief's body and in no time, he felt pain as the thief wounded Kouya on his leg causing him to fall into the ground. The thief now was completely out of his sight and he thought that he was dying. As he saw the thief before he disappeared again, he thought he was going to die.

"Prepare to die! Envenom!"

Kouya closed his eyes, accepting that he was going to die soon. But then, he heard somebody throw a spear towards the thief causing him to wonder. Kouya didn't feel any wound open again. He opened his eyes and saw that the thief was badly wounded but was still alive. He saw a knight in front of the thief but the knight's back was facing Kouya. The knight rode a Peco-Peco which made the knight look much stronger.

"You still hurt weak people Kuroudo? You should be ashamed of yourself!"

Kuroudo didn't move. He was unconscious. The knight approached Kouya; he was a brawny-looking man with tanned features, deep brown eyes, and ebony-black hair. He looked just as cocky as the thief he had defeated, but there was something in his eyes that immediately changed the way he looked at the wounded novice. Recognition, perhaps? He then asked, "Are you alright there? I think you need a ride to Morroc. My name is Takeshi, what's yours?"

"Kouya. Kouya Marino."

---

**_Authors' Notes:_**

In behalf of Wang Hu who's too engrossed leveling up his RO character right now, those, guys, were the first two chapters of our joint fanfiction, inspired by three things. First, Ragnarok Online, which my brother is practically obsessed with; second, Valkyrie Profile, one of our Playstation RPG favorites; and third, Norse mythology, from which both games were derived.

The story may have an RO feel, with the places and magic stuff, but we're trying to stick with the Norse facts as much as we can. Thus, Fenrir is not a sorceress (in the manga) or a server (in the game) but a big bad wolf, and Odin is not a server either, but the chief god rivaling Zeus of Greek mythology. And many other things.

Well, there's not much left to say as the fic is still at its early stage, so just stand by for more updates, which should hopefully be soon. For now, please read and review, and if you have any suggestions, please let us know. Thank you!


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